Hairston's Annoyance List

0 Likes

Options

Hairston's Annoyance List

In 1981, Maxine Hairston wondered if mistakes in writing mattered to English teachers, but not to employers. She asked college teachers and business people to read some student writing and rate the seriousness of over 300 kinds of errors. She found that there were some rrors that were noticed but forgiven. Others were "status-marking" - meaning they are considered so serious that people who make them are often assumed to be uneducated.

1) Status-marking errors: considered MOST SERIOUS (i.e. non-standard verb forms; double negatives; fragments, capitalization errors, misplaced comma errors)
2) Mechanical errors: considered SERIOUS and ANNOYING. (i.e. subject-verb agreement, word confusion such as sit/set, parallel structure)
3) Noticeable - but less serious (i.e. missing quotation marks, comma misuse, changes in verb tense)

You may view more examples on this chart:
http://word-crafter.net/EC/Hairston.doc

PRACTICE:
Let's see how your judgment of sentence errors compares to Hairston's.
Directions:
1) Correct the errors in these sentences.
2) Categorize them as

S - status marking or very serious
M - mechanical mistakes or serious
N - noticeable or not as serious
(Just write the letter, S, M, or N at the end of each sentence.)

1. The teacher said I done a good job on the editing test.
2. We can get extra help in the Learning Center, but I don't need none of that.
3. Although some people do.
4. Me and my friends write our papers the night before they're due.
5. As far as i'm concerned, losing a little sleep is no big deal.
6. My friend Shan, always does at least a rough draft and a revised draft.
7. I'm trying to decide whether to go into Criminal Justice, become an Administrative
Assistant, or Medical Assistant.
8. Any one of these programs are a good choice for me.
9. If I do good in my classes, my chances of getting a good job will increase.
10. Our textbook is heavy, so I am glad to sit it down when I get to class.

Adapted from Hairston, Maxine. Successful writing: A Rhetoric for Advanced Composition. New York: Norton, 1981 and "The Annoyance List" (retrieved from: http://www.bilkent.edu.tr/)

In 1981, Maxine Hairston wondered if mistakes in writing mattered to English teachers, but not to employers. She asked college teachers and business people to read some student writing and rate the seriousness of over 300 kinds of errors. She found that there were some rrors that were noticed but forgiven. Others were "status-marking" - meaning they are considered so serious that people who make them are often assumed to be uneducated. 1) Status-marking errors: considered MOST SERIOUS (i.e. non-standard verb forms; double negatives; fragments, capitalization errors, misplaced comma errors) 2) Mechanical errors: considered SERIOUS and ANNOYING. (i.e. subject-verb agreement, word confusion such as sit/set, parallel structure) 3) Noticeable - but less serious (i.e. missing quotation marks, comma misuse, changes in verb tense) You may view more examples on this chart: [http://word-crafter.net/EC/Hairston.doc] PRACTICE: Let's see how your judgment of sentence errors compares to Hairston's. Directions: 1) Correct the errors in these sentences. 2) Categorize them as S - status marking or [i]very serious[/i] M - mechanical mistakes or [i] serious[/i] N - noticeable or [i]not as serious [/i] (Just write the letter, S, M, or N at the end of each sentence.) 1. The teacher said I done a good job on the editing test. 2. We can get extra help in the Learning Center, but I don't need none of that. 3. Although some people do. 4. Me and my friends write our papers the night before they're due. 5. As far as i'm concerned, losing a little sleep is no big deal. 6. My friend Shan, always does at least a rough draft and a revised draft. 7. I'm trying to decide whether to go into Criminal Justice, become an Administrative Assistant, or Medical Assistant. 8. Any one of these programs are a good choice for me. 9. If I do good in my classes, my chances of getting a good job will increase. 10. Our textbook is heavy, so I am glad to sit it down when I get to class. Adapted from Hairston, Maxine. Successful writing: A Rhetoric for Advanced Composition. New York: Norton, 1981 and "The Annoyance List" (retrieved from: http://www.bilkent.edu.tr/)